McDonald's and Chipotle earnings deliver

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Shares of McDonald's are trading at a new all-time high after the global fast food chain managed to impress with strong earnings and sales numbers across all its markets.

Fast food chains tend to benefit during recessionary economic periods as many people scale back and trade down. Recent menu expansion and innovation is also a big factor, fueling McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500) growth.

Chipotle (CMG) is also a fast food chain in its heart, but the industry is not the only tailwind going for them. The introduction of naturally raised and hormone free meat in its products appeal to a wide range of customers and help the company to ride on its own secular trend.

The Mexican restaurant chain reported 25% quarterly earnings growth due to higher same store sales. Its shares advanced more than 6% on the news and are trading near all-time highs.